Variable batching device for conveyer-borne folded paper products



Dec. 26, 1967 STEGENGA ET AL 3,359,874

VARIABLE BA ING DEVICE FOR CONVEYER-BORNE Filed Sept. 30, 1965 FOLDEDPAPER PRODUCTS ZSheets-Sheet 1 F AUTOMATlC 1 PRE- PROGRAMED \25 l IBATCH SELECT v J i MANUAL BATCH SELECT .x24 23 CONTROLS 015mm SELECTCONTROLS \.33

INVENTORS JERRY A. STEGENGA RICHARD L.TESCH EDWARD BLECKNEFQJR. JAMES G.QUAKENBUSH BY M, M A

ATTORNEYS Dec. 26, 1967 J. A. STEGENGA ET AL 3,359,874 VARIABLE BATCHINGDEVICE R CONVEYEH-BORNE FOLDED PAPER P UCTS Filed Sept. 50,1965 2Sheets-Sheet 2 RD L. TESCH EDW BLECK ,JR. JAME OUA SH lY l I:

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,359,874 VARIABLE BATCHING DEVICE FORCONVEYER- BORNE FOLDED PAPER PRODUCTS Jerry A. Stegenga, Coral Gables,Richard L. Tesch, Hollywood, Edward Bleckner, Jr., Fort Lauderdale, andJames G. Quakenbush, Hollywood, Fla., assignors to Milgo ElectronicCorporation, Miami, Fla., a corporation of Florida Filed Sept. 30, 1965,Ser. No. 491,746 21 Claims. (Cl. 93-93) This invention relates tocounting, controlling, batching and identifying articles moving in astream on a conveyer and more particularly to improved accurate meansfor marking particular items therein according to variably set countingmeans.

It has previously been known to deliver folded paper products, such asnewspapers, to a conveyer in overlapping relation and to separate theseproducts into bundles or batches of fixed size or according to a countmade either when deposited on the conveyer or when stacked. In oneexample a fan delivery deposits papers in overlapping relationship upona moving conveyer to provide a moving product stream, means beingprovided for separating the articles into batches according to aselection mechanism operative as they are deposited on the conveyer.Other prior art devices stack the products as they are delivered by theconveyer, with various devices for governing the size of the stack. Butthere has not been available a convenient means of accurately batchingthese products according to a count made along the moving stream and forsuitably marking or displacing one particular counted item to indicatebatch termination. This feature is of particular value in a high speedoperation, for which previous batching methods have not been capable ofthe required performance or the desired versatility in batch sizeadjustment under control of an operator nor by preprogrammed sequence.Most prior art devices have involved some form of device actuated tointerrupt the stream flow as a function of the conveyer travel or thefan delivery, being thus keyed to the depositing of objects on theconveyer rather than exact stream progress. In a high speed operation itbecomes important to keep the stream moving at full rate and for a largeprinting operation, as for a metropolitan newspaper, product traveldistances are too great for efficient operation of a counter andbatching device associated with the depositing of the items upon theconveyer. Provision for rapid and automatic change of batch size has notbeen satisfactory in prior devices.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an improvedcounting and identifying arrangement which can be used at any desiredlocation in the stream.

Another object is to provide means of identifying a particular articlein a stream of folded paper products without adversely aflecting itsalignment within the stream.

Another object is to provide means for tagging or marking batchdetermining items in a stream including displacement thereof from thealigned stream only in one direction of motion.

A further object is to provide improved means for measuring distancebetween a point of counting of items in a stream and the point ofdisplacing or tagging particular items therein.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a manual controlfor use by an operator to vary the number of items automaticallyseparated into batches in a continuously moving stream.

Another object is to provide controls for identifying and separatingproduct batches variably determined in size according to paper tape,magnetic tape, punched card, or other programming control means.

These and other objects of the invention will be more clearly understoodby reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an overall diagrammatic sketch of a batcher according to thisinvention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic sketch of an optical sensing device formeasuring conveyer travel for use in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the batcher of FIG. 1 showing the bladeactuated;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 in which the next arriving article isdisplaced on the blade; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the blade retracted as inFIG. 1.

The objects of this invention are achieved primarily by provisionadjacent a conveyer belt or the like supporting a stream of folded paperproducts, a sensing head which counts the products and operates a batchselector mechanism in accordance with a pneprogramming batch size readerin conjunction with time-displacement correlating means for delayedoperation of a displacing blade which serves, when operated, to modifythe motion of one selected product delimiting a batch during translationby displacement in one degree of motion such that it remains displacedas the stream is gathered beyond the batching apparatus. Because thepresent invention is intended to provide for automatic batching offolded paper products where the count of products in each successivebatch is variably programmed according to storage in formation in acomputer-type control mechanism, it is essential that the countingoperation and the batching operation shall be so correlated andpositioned so that a count, when completed in the counting mechanism,initiates actuation of the batching mechanism at a measured distance andrate of article delivery such that the batching blade operates at thesame point in the stream as that point in which the counting apparatusreaches the count prescribed for the particular batch.

, Referring now to FIG. 1, there is generally illustrated at 10 aconveyer for conducting a stream of overlapped printed products to theapparatus of this invention. In the case of newspapers being deliveredfrom a press, these papers arrive with the folded edge forward and in arelationship in which each paper overlaps portions of preceding papers.Illustratively, conveyor apparatus 10 includes a horizontal portion anda vertical portion 11 which conducts the products to a sloped portion 12where they are prepared for the batching apparatus later to bedescribed. Each conveyor portion may consist of a lower table or channelhaving a conveyer belt thereon, often being a number ofparallel-operating helical spring tension members 15, 15' partiallycontained in grooves with a cooperating set of similar members designedto keep the paper products pressed against the supporting conveyers. Oneside of the stream may be supported as in FIG. 1 by conveyer portions10, 11 and 12, while the other side is held down or laterally supportedby cooperating belt members as at 10, 11 and 12. Pulleys or feed rolls13, 13' drive the moving members of 10, 10', 11, 11', 12, 12' and arealigned with the respective planes of the moving stream. Conveyor 12 isdisposed at an angle to conveyer 11 and has a lower terminal rollerserving as a backup roller for floating roller 17 which terminatescorresponding upper member 12'. Thus the paper stream is compressedbetween rollers 16 and 17 by the weight of roller 17 to feed paperscontinuously in a pressed-together condition to the batching device.Under some conditions conveyer 10 may lead directly to conveyer 12 byrearrangement of the counting and measuring devices. Counter 19 engagessuccessive papers to provide an exact count prior to the time the papersare delivered to the batcher. When batched papers are delivered ontotable 14 they are carried along by belt 18 to a receiving station.Papers compressed between rollers 16 and 17 are held in relativelypositioned sequence in the stream sufficiently to effect the curlingback of the paper curled at blade 26, later to be described.

According to this invention, products in the stream 20 move past rolls10, 11, 12 and 16 and as more clearly shown in FIGS. 35 are then bunchedor batched according to either a manual setting or preprogrammedautomatic selector mechanism so as to separate the products into groupsof which the final paper is shown at 21 and 21' and the first paper of asucceeding group is shown at 22 prior to displacement from its alignmentwith the stream 20. Upon displacement, it may take the position as at22' or 22" and continues along table 14 in the displaced position so asto permit ready separation into appropriate sized batches, as the batchsize may be changed from moment to moment according to a deliveryschedule. Products are thus tagged and/or marked by displacement of thefirst member of the batch as it emerges from the conveyor 12.

Actual count is made by counting device 19 arranged to contact theproducts passing a particular point in the stream as close to thebatcher as possible. The count registered by device 19 may be a totalcount for the run, or may be a resettable batch counter where the countcommences anew at the end of each batch, or both. A suitable mechanicalcounter is shown in Patent No. 3,197,- 136. A normally open switch isclosed each time a count is made, thereby to provide an electricalsignal pulse to a sensor count accumulator 23 through which the batchsize selection is effected.

Such a count accumulator may be a group of flip-flop circuitsinterconnected to provide a count of the desired amount, or may be acounter of other type as convenient, but is provided with means forelectrical resetting upon accumulation to the predetermined number. Thispredetermined number may be set into the accumulator by a manualselector control 24 when it is desired to keep the batch size undercontrol of an operator. Alternatively, a preprogrammed batch selectdevice 25 may be employed and connected to the count accumulator 23 inlieu of the control 24, or may be arranged to receive control through aswitch 23' so that the same batcher can be used in either way, or with amanual control overriding. Conventional automatic preprogramming devicesmay be employed, including, for example, a card reader mechanism suchthat in a daily run of newspapers there may be for each distributor acard bearing the number of papers to be included in each batch fordelivery to that distributor. Upon running each of the cards through theprogrammer in succession, the papers are automatically bunched intobatches in strict accordance with the preprogrammed batch selectionscheme employed. Similarly, punched tape or magnetic tape storage mayprovide preprogrammed control. Tagging or marking is accomplished in thefollowing manner. When the count accumulator registers the whole countfor the batch then being separated, a signal is initiated to operatesolenoid 27 and actuate batcher blade 26 to engage the next followingproduct in the stream 20. Blade 26 is shaped to engage the followingpaper at the leading edge after it has passed backup roller 16 andbefore it is deposited on table 14. Blade actuator solenoid 27 issupported, for example, by a cross bar mounted on the frameworksupporting roll 17 or the conveyers. When blade 26- is lowered byoperation of solenoid 27, one paper 22 is lifted from its positionsufficiently to strike rider straps 28 at shoulders 29 thereof whichcauses paper 22 to be folded back over the next following paper in thestream and to remain so folded under straps 28 as at 22' until it haspassed beyond the end rider at which time it will be permitted to resumeits normal shape as shown at 22".

Straps 28 constitute arresting or restraining means which stop theonrushing papers and determine the upper limits of the gathered stream.Members 28 are curved upwardly at the forward portions thereof and passover rollers 16, 17 providing a throat into which papers feed withouthindrance, except papers 22' which are thereby folded back overfollowing papers by members 28 as papers 22' pass thereunder. Thus it isseen that the last paper of a batch, as at 21, passes freely under 28and the next succeeding paper is lifted into contact with shoulders 29of members 28, and held by friction with the following papers so as tobe pulled out of position in the stream by the folding action of thethrust of following papers from rollers 16, 17.

Since the present invention provides for an exact count of products togo in each bundle or batch and is adapted for use on a moving streamwhere the products are overlapping, it will be appreciated that thecounter 19 is not conveniently placed exactly at the point at whichblade 26 is to operate to lift the succeeding paper 22 out of its normalposition in the stream. It is therefore convenient to provide a distancemeasuring mechanism which either measures the distance from counter 19to blade 26 or a rate of travel of the stream 20 accompanied by adelayed interval in the application of the impulse to solenoid 27. Sincea precise count is desired, a device for precisely measuring the timeinterval and adjusting the time delay is provided in the followingmanner.

A mechanical impulse generator 30 is coupled to one of the pulleys 13which is in direct contact with the moving stream as in FIG. 1. For thispurpose, belt 31 may be either a precisely coupled belt to produce oneimpulse in the device 30 for each selected bit of travel of the stream,or like device.

A suitable distance measuring device 30 is shown in detail in FIG. 2. Itmay consist of a disc 34 containing a series of equally spaced holes 34,2 photo diode cells 36, 36', light sources 35, 35', and a lens system. Apositive drive by cleated belt 31, or the like, is used between thedistance measuring device 30 and the conveyer system, which insures thatthe rotation of the disc is in direct relationship to the movement ofthe conveyer system. The photo diodes 36, 36' are so positioned thatwhen one is in line with a hole 34 in disc 34 the other is positionedhalf way between adjacent holes. As the disc rotates, the photo diodesalternately send pulses to the distance count accumulator 32. Theelectronics are so arranged in the accumulator 32 that after a pulse isaccepted from one photo diode, additional pulses from that photo diodewill not be accepted until accumulator 32 receives a pulse from theother photo diode. This arrangement avoids chatter, so that when disc 34is stationary but vibrating slightly, false pulses will not beaccumulated in the distance count accumulator. It will be apparent thatthe converse is true, that after a pulse is generated by one photo diodeit can no longer affect the distance count accumulator until the otherphoto diode provides an output pulse. It should now become apparent thateach pulse applied to the distance count accumulator is a direct andaccurate indication of a distance traveled by the conveyer system.

The total number of pulses allowed to accumulate in the distance countaccumulator before it actuates the displacement mechanism 27 isdetermined by the setting of the distance select control 33. When thecorrect number of pulses have been received by the distance countaccumulator it resets to zero and at the same time provides anelectrical closure which actuates the solenoid 27 on the displacementdevice.

To further understand the operation of this device, assume a situationwhere the total number of newspapers required in a particular lot orbatch is 50. The manual batch select control 24 would be set to number50. In our hypothetical situation assume the exact distance from thesensor 19 to the blade 26 of the displacing device is 43.6 inches.Distance measuring device provides a pulse for every 0.2 inch ofconveyer travel. Distance select control 33 would then be set to 218(43.6+O.2=218). The

first newspaper 22 passing under the sensor will start the sensor countaccumulator 23. The pulse generated by the sensor as the 50th newspaperis counted will cause the sensor count accumulator to send a startingpulse to the distance count accumulator. When the total number of pulsesreceived by the distance count accumulator from the distatnce measuringdevice equal 218, an output is provided to actuate the solenoid 27 andlower the displacing arm 26 of the displacement device, thus catchingand displacing the paper 22 immediately following the 50th newspaper inour hypothetical case. As explained before, the sensor count accumulatorwill have been reset after the last pulse from the sensor in thepreceding batch and is now in the process of accumulating 50 morepulses. The complete cycle of operation will be repeated. It should benoted that the manual batch select control 24 can be reset at any timeduring operation to change the batch count. Also, if the automaticpreprogrammed batch select controls 25 were being used, it couldautomatically change the batch count from batch to batch to the desirednumber. By use of switch 23 a run may be temporarily under control of anoperator via control 24 and thereafter placed under automatic controlaccording to the immediate program.

In the hypothetical case just discussed it is apparent that thedisplacement device is controlled as a function of conveyer travel afterthe total batch number has been accumulated by the sensor countaccumulator. A change in speed of the conveyer system or a completestoppage of the conveyer will in no way affect the accuracy ordependability of the system.

When a variable speed is employed, as between two printing runs, it willbe obvious that some compensation may be necessary, due to a widevariance of speed in the conveyer, as to the exact time the displacingdevice is actuated, since the stream travels some distance during anactuation. There is provided in the distance count accumulator a devicewhich senses the speed of the conveyer system based on the repetitionrate of the pulses received from the distance measuring device describedabove. This automatically provides a proportional signal to eifect aVernier compensation for speed as required.

While the invention has been described in connection with a particularembodiment, it will be understood that it may be otherwise practicedwithout departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Batching apparatus for paper products progressing in overlappingrelation in a stream, comprising driven conveyer means delivering saidstream to a batching location,

ramp means receiving said stream from said conveyor means,

receiving table means adjacent said ramp means for storing successivebatches of products,

load means above said ramp and table means for arresting said productsin compacted relation at the end of said stream, and having a downwardlycurved leading shoulder,

displacement means actuatable from a retracted to an active positionwherein a leading edge of the next arriving product is upwardly curvedto a position above the stream, being disposed forward of said shoulderwhen in said active position,

means retracting said displacement means to a position beyond saidshoulder thereby to release said curved leading edge against saidshoulder,

counting means indicating the number of products passing a point alongsaid stream since the final product of a prior batch, effective toprovide a signal at the end of a selected batch, and

means responsive to said signal for actuating said displacement meansfor a period approximating the time spacing between successive saidproducts in the stream.

2. Batching apparatus according to claim 1 including programming meansfor selecting variable numbers of products in successive batchesaccording to a programming sequence for varying the count at the time ofsuccessive said signals.

3. Batching apparatus according to claim 1 including tape readerapparatus eifective for determining the sizes of successive batchesaccording to a stored program and providing said signal uponaccumulation of a programmed count for each successive batch.

4. Batching apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said counting meansresponds to products at one point in the stream and said displacementmeans operates at a different point therein, including digital distancemeasuring means preset to delay the operation of said displacement meansafter completion of a prescribed count thereat until the final productso counted has reached said different point.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including manual means for setting thecount at which said signal is provided and a new count commences.

6. A newspaper stream batching device, comprising linear feed conveyorsterminating at a delivery point above a receiving table,

curved ramp means conveying trailing edges of newspapers in a stream tosaid table,

load means substantially equidistant from the termination of a conveyor,said ramp and said table for aligning the leading edges of saidnewspapers,

curved lifting means disposable in the path of leading edges of saidpapers with an upwardly increasing slope for upwardly curling anewspaper when disposed in said path,

actuation means for causing said lifting means to descend into said pathfor an interval substantially equal to the passage time for onenewspaper and to thereupon be upwardly retracted for laying said paperagainst said load means,

counting means for determining the number of papers passing said pointafter commencement of a batch, and

means responsive to a selected count in said counting means foroperation of said actuation means.

7. A batching device according to claim 6, last said means includingmeans responsive to stream travel for causing said operation to occurwhen the stream has advanced from said counting means to said liftingmeans.

8. In a newspaper printing and batching device,

conveyor means for a stream of overlapping papers,

counting means disposed adjacent said conveyor means, count registeringmeans providing an output signal when a preset total is reached,

resetting means for said registering means actuated upon registry ofsaid tot-a1,

receiving means for said stream including means gathering said papersinto a compacted stream,

a displacing device disposed adjacent said receiving means and having ablade normally above the stream, means responsive to said signal forelevating the leading edge of a next succeeding paper in the stream,restraining means defining the upper extent of said compacted stream,means releasing said leading edge against said restraining means priorto the arrival at said displacing device of a following paper, and

powered means urging said following paper beneath said restraining meansand against the adjacent portion of said succeeding paper before saidpapers are gathered.

9. In a device according to claim 8, said restraining means comprising astationary lead member formed to correspond to the upper edge of saidstream and upwardly curved therebefore to receive and bend back a paperelevated above the stream as it passes thereunder.

10. A batching mechanism for a stream of overlapped paper products,comprising conveyer means delivering said stream to a delivery table,including a downwardly sloped portion terminating above said table,

curved ramp means providing downwardly sloped smooth transition fromsaid conveyor to said table,

a load roller above said stream and a back-up roller terminating saidconveyor means in relative position to provide forced ejection of papersof said stream onto said ramp means,

a curved stationary load member disposed in fixed distance relation tosaid table and said ramp means for arresting motion of said papersejected from the nip of said rollers in a predetermined gatheredrelationship for stacking, said member having an upwardly curved portiontoward said load roller for folding back any paper striking saidupwardly curved portion, and

means operative upon passage of a preset number of papers for liftingthe leading edge of the next succeeding product into contact with saidupwardly curved portion.

11. A mechanism according to claim 10 including counting means disposedadjacent said conveyor means for determining the passage of said presetnumber of products.

12. A mechanism according to claim 11, including electrical storagemeans for detecting counts according to variably set successive limits,

means for initiating action of said lifting means after a saidsucceeding product passes said rollers, and releasing the same againstsaid upwardly curved portion of said member.

13. A mechanism according to claim 10, including means determining thetime of arrival of a first product of each batch at said lifting meansand for operating said lifting means during the progress of said firstproduct a distance corresponding to the spacing between products.

14. A mechanism according to claim 10, including electrical countaccumulator means under control of a manual setting device for operatingsaid lifting means.

15. A mechanism according to claim 10, including automatic preprogrammedbatch size selection means in control of said preset number for thesuccessive operations of said lifting means to delimit successivebatches according to a preprogrammed schedule.

16. In a batching apparatus for separating a stream of paper productsinto groups of variable size,

counting means disposed adjacent said stream for registering the passageof successive said products,

electrical means for accumulating counts from said counting means,

means providing an output signal and resetting said electrical meanswhen the accumulated count therein reaches a set value,

means varying said set value in response to a control for setting thebatch size, and

means responsive to said signal for displacing the next succeedingproduct from said stream to mark the separation of successive batches inthe stream.

17. In an apparatus according to claim 16,

digital means measuring the travel of said stream as a function of thedistance between the counting means and the displacing means, and

means delaying operation of the displacing means until a point in saidstream has traversed said distance after said count value is reached.

18. In an apparatus according to claim 16,

means measuring the progress of said stream between the counting meansand the displacing means and applying said signal to operate saiddisplacing means when the product completing said accumulated count haspassed said displacing means.

19. In an apparatus according to claim 16,

said means providing an output signal including a digital accumulatorand means responsive to travel of said stream for operating saiddisplacing means in delayed time according to the distance of movementof the stream being proportioned to the distance between the countingmeans and the displacmg means.

20. In an apparatus according to claim 16,

photoelectric detector means responsive to increments of movement ofsaid stream for providing a digital distance count proportioned to saidmovement.

21. In an apparatus according to claim 20,

said photoelectric signal means including an apertured light shieldmoving in proportion to stream movement and a pair of light receptorsdisposed for alternate operation as said shield moves thercpast,providing counting pulses in alternate order to accumulate said distancecount.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,249,060 12/ 1917 Fullerton93-93 2,617,593 11/1952 Audier et al. 9393 3,117,500 1/1964 Donahue etal. 9393 50 BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner.

1. BATCHING APPARATUS FOR PAPER PRODUCTS PROGRESSING IN OVERLAPPINGRELATION IN A STREAM, COMPRISING DRIVEN CONVEYOR MEANS DELIVERING SAIDSTREAM TO A BATCHING LOCATION, RAMP MEANS RECEIVING SAID STREAM FROMSAID CONVEYOR MEANS, RECEIVING TABLE MEANS ADJACENT SAID RAMP MEANS FORSTORING SUCCESSIVE BATCHES OF PRODUCTS, LOAD MEANS ABOVE SAID RAMP ANDTABLE MEANS FOR ARRESTING SAID PRODUCTS IN COMPACT RELATION AT THE ENDOF SAID STREAM, AND HAVING A DOWNWARDLY CURVED LEADING SHOULDER,DISPLACEMENT MEANS ACTUATABLE FROM A RETRACTED TO AN ACTIVE POSITIONWHEREIN A LEADING EDGE OF THE NEXT ARRIVING PRODUCT IS UPWARDLY CURVEDTO A POSITION ABOVE THE STREAM, BEING DISPOSED FORWARD OF SAID SHOULDERWHEN IN SAID ACTIVE POSITION, MEANS RETRACTING SAID DISPLACEMENT MEANSTO A POSITION BEYOND SAID SHOULDER THEREBY TO RELEASE SAID CURVEDLEADING EDGE AGAINST SAID SHOULDER, COUNTING MEANS INDICATING THE NUMBEROF PRODUCTS PASSING A POINT ALONG SAID STREAM SINCE THE FINAL PRODUCT OFA PRIOR BATCH, EFFECTIVE TO PROVIDE A SIGNAL AT THE END OF A SELECTEDBATCH, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID SIGNAL FOR ACTUATING SAIDDISPLACEMENT MEANS FOR A PERIOD APPROXIMATING THE TIME SPACING BETWEENSUCCESSIVE SAID PRODUCTS IN THE STREAM.